Determine Where You Need to be: There is an old usage saying that “if you don’t know where are you going, any road will get you there”. Therefore it is important to define at a high level the cost targets and expected economic and operating environment a business needs to compete in if it is to be successful. These cost targets are similar in nature to those tracked by financial analysts. Moreover, the experience of other industries can be very useful in helping managers define and confront the challenges facing the business.